


Because I Love You

by Abnormal_Cleric



Category: Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series
Genre: Best Friends, Brotherly Love, Cold Weather, Coming Out, Friendship, Fugitives, Loss, Love Confessions, M/M, Might add more chapters, Protective Older Brothers, Suicidal Thoughts, complicated feelings, saying goodbye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:27:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27502303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abnormal_Cleric/pseuds/Abnormal_Cleric
Summary: The second Saurian takeover was the end of an age, the end of a culture, and maybe the end of a friendship. It wouldn't be the end of a family. Even if Wildwing had to watch everything else burn, he was going to keep his baby brother alive. For Canard.
Relationships: Wildwing Flashblade/Canard Thunderbeak
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written in 2018 and it ended at the last line of dialogue. I found it this morning after watching the first few episodes again. I polished it up a little, gave it a proper ending, and here we are. Let me know if you want more and I'll see what I can do.

Canard ran his fingers over Wildwing's shoulder blade as if searching for the scar he had put there two years previously. The shirt over his back was too thin. The wind ran past on legs of steel and scraped claws along Canard’s arms. Wildwing was going to freeze like this. At least there was enough food. Everything would be fine. They were both resourceful and determined. There was nothing to worry about.

Wildwing pulled the laces on his skates tighter. "So… this is the last day, huh?"

"Yep. Unless you’d rather leave the good times to yesterday and start growing up now."

Wildwing stood, using Canard's shoulder for support until he found his balance. He scanned the street beyond the alley. All he could see was twisted metal, ice, and the occasional survivor running for shelter. The good times were dead. Wildwing was trying to make memories that would never exist. “Where are we going when we leave here?”

The older duck tapped the blade of his skate on the ice to test it and rose to his feet without help. "You can't come with me, you know."

"What? Why not?" Wildwing asked himself why he was surprised. This was the same duck who had left to join the military alone and used to tell Wildwing to run while he handled the bullies by himself.

"Because." Canard didn't look at Wildwing.

Wildwing was older than his brother, but he could still be a whiny duckling when he wanted to. "But, Canard! I want to go with you! Who knows when you’ll be back? Who even knows if you’ll come back _alive?_ Why are you so against me coming?"

"Because it's dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Why don't you ever let me help you?” Wildwing drew himself up to his full height and tried not to think about how many times he had said the same thing to Nosedive. “I'm not weak! You always do things for me! You never let me do things with you! Why do you always have to protect me?"

"Because I love you!" Canard grabbed Wildwing by the shoulders and stared into his eyes for a second. His face held fifteen years of friendship and fifteen seconds of terror. "I love you, okay?"

Wildwing put one hand over Canard's wrist. "I love you too, but that doesn't mean-"

"No, you don't! I know you don't. You don't love me that way I love you, because you love Jena the way I love you."

Wildwing froze. Not from the cold, but from the shock. "Canard, are- ...Are you okay? Did you hit your head? Are you sick?"

"I'm fine. I'm going to look for that mask, and you're staying here. Goodbye."

They were supposed to be spending one last afternoon together while there were still good memories to make. Now, Wildwing was alone, watching his best friend slip through his fingers. The loss was good for him. It snapped him out of his perfect fantasy and into the real world. If nothing else, he had to protect Nosedive.

That would keep him busy until he either saw Canard again or forgot about him.

* * *

He forced himself to return to the tiny storage unit he and Nosedive were using as a home-base of sorts. The bare metal walls were cold enough to give someone frostbite in a matter of hours. Every sound hit the walls and ceiling and echoed like the cries of a wounded animal. The young drake huddled against a flattened cardboard box in the corner looked smaller than he had in years. He was all Wildwing had.

Tomorrow, he determined, he would find something his brother could use as a blanket.

Tonight, Wildwing’s arms would be enough.

They had to be.

They _had_ to be.


	2. Chapter 2

The cold woke Wildwing before the sunlight did. That made sense. The door to the storage unit was shut and everything was dark. Why was he so cold? He hadn’t been this cold last night. His fingers were stiff and he could barely feel his feet. As soon as he shifted himself to a more comfortable position, needles raced up his legs like TV static and he fell back to the floor. He hadn’t fallen asleep like that, had he?

He retraced his steps in his head. He got back after a long walk to clear his head, then took his skates off… no. He hadn’t taken his skates off. They were still on. What he had done was curl up next to Nosedive. Who... wasn’t there.

His heart stopped and he knew why he was so cold.  _ Damn it _ . He struggled to his feet and tried to hold his balance while swallowing his panic. What had gone wrong? Where was his baby brother? How long had he been asleep?

_ Take a breath. _ Canard’s voice in his head was always wiser than his own.  _ He probably didn’t leave. He’s just messing with you.  _ “Where are you? This isn’t funny.”

“Wildwing, I hate you.”

The sound of the voice calmed him down. The words were a little unsettling. “Good morning to you, too, Dive.”

Silence strung itself out between the walls for a minute. Something metal hit the concrete floor. His voice was off. Definitely Nosedive, but heavier and tainted with a type of inflection Wildwing wasn’t used to hearing. “You got back late. I… didn’t know where you were.”

Wildwing didn’t have to ask why that was important. It wasn’t just that his baby brother couldn’t find him. His baby brother had thought he was dead, or worse.

Nosedive’s words blended together and his consonants stuck in his throat. “You _left_ _me behind yesterday_. For all I knew, you abandoned me. I woke up alone, thinking you didn’t love me enough to say goodbye. How’s it taste?”

“Dive, I tried to...”

“Where’s Canard?”

“Nosedive-”

“Where did he-?”

“He’s  _ not  _ my boyfriend!” Wildwing sank to his knees and untied his skates. It was something to get his fingers moving. Something to do. Something he knew how to do.

Another silence filled the unit with thick, black water. He couldn’t hear anything. He wanted to cry. He wanted to be mad at Canard, but he couldn’t blame him.

“Wildwing… where is he?”

“He left us.” Maybe he could blame him. “He ran away to search for a treasure that doesn’t exist and left us to fend for ourselves.” Maybe he could be mad at him. “He said he wanted me to stay here so I would be safe, but we would be safer with someone who could protect us!” Maybe he did hate Canard. “He doesn’t  _ trust _ us, Dive! He abandoned us and lied to us and… and he didn’t even tell you goodbye. He’s as good as dead.”

Something shuffled at the other end of the storage unit and Nosedive’s arm brushed Windwing’s elbow. Once he was settled, he spoke again. “I’m sorry.”

“I know. It’s not your fault.”

“No, I’m sorry I let you think I was gone. I shouldn’t have done that. It was stupid and reckless and someone could have gotten hurt.”

Wildwing nodded. “I forgive you. You wanted me to see how much I had hurt you. I get it now, and I’m never going to leave without telling you again. Are you okay? Did anything happen while I was gone?”

Nosedive didn’t move.

“Hey, talk to me.”

Nothing.

He was never like this unless… “Dive, tell me what happened. What did you do yesterday?”

His voice was muffled as if he was hiding his face between his knees and speaking to the floor. “I almost shot myself in the mouth.”

Every drop of blood in Wildwing’s body froze. He reached for his baby brother’s hand as if that would fix what he had done. What he had almost driven Nosedive to do… What he himself had tried to avoid doing by walking around what was left of his city until he lost track of time. “Me, too.”

It wasn’t funny. Nosedive shouldn’t have been laughing. The sound echoed around the tiny storage unit and twisted the knife in Wildwing’s gut. He stopped and squeezed his big brother’s hand. “He’s really gone, then. If it’s just the two of us, it had better stay two. I mean, …if you killed yourself, I’d… strangle you.”

The joke was in poor taste and poorer time, but it wasn’t like Wildwing could feel  _ worse _ about himself. He smiled. “You too, Dive. Don’t you go getting yourself killed, now, y’ here?”

“Whatever you say, old man.”

Wildwing would have fought back, but it was true. Twenty was too old for this. Especially when he felt like he had aged thirty years in three days. This invasion would wake him up in the middle of the night until the day he died. Assuming, of course, that he lived long enough to get out of here. He wasn’t hungry, and he didn’t think he ever would be. “Is there any food left?”

“Yeah. All I had yesterday was… uh…”

“You should eat something now. And so should I.”

Tomorrow would be better.

_ Tomorrow will be better. _

Wildwing had said that every day this week.

Tomorrow will be better.

Tomorrow will be…

  
  


He was crying.


End file.
